Join us for a visit with some of our favorite authors whose books we love to read and share with everyone. You'll get to hear from authors who've become friends over the years, authors we're just discovering, and lots of prizes and books to win!

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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Hello again to you all! A big thanks to Lee for inviting
me here to talk about a term you've probably heard before--"book of the heart."

You've no doubt known some authors who've written a book
of the heart. These are novels that inspire great pride and love in a writer, a
story that has poked at you for years but, alas, it may not have found a home
in traditional markets. Most books of the heart are different from the
mainstream, and that's the reason it might not have found an easy place to
shine.

But not these days. With indie publishing, the
marketplace is full of books of the heart, and I'm happy to say that THE SHE
CODE is mine!

A little background: I wrote this story, about a recent
college graduate who was trying to find her way in the world, years and years
ago. You see, my main character Mandy Halsey wanted more than anything to be a
comic book penciler, but besides her attempt to secure her dream job, she was
dealing with the trials and tribulations of finding the perfect guy out in the
world. There were a couple reasons this book never quite found a home, although
it did come close...

#1: Before I put THE SHE CODE under the bed, only to
realize that now is the perfect time for publishing it, the pop culture
landscape was revolving around stories about women and their close female
friendships. But I wanted to explore what happens when you have a long-time
friend who suddenly changes, just when your life is undergoing so many
alterations during your early 20s. I wanted to tell the story of a girl who
gets her heart broken not only by men, but by the childhood best friend who
doesn't seem to fit into Mandy's life anymore. This book's main theme was about
the *breakup* of a friendship, and that was soooo not SEX IN THE CITY. But I
really believe that this kind of breakup is something we've all gone through in
our lives. However, even as we see the breakup happening, we cling to those
friends; we even have our own ways of staying ultra-loyal to them. That's why I
invented a set of rules--Mandy's "She Code"--to describe the lengths
females will go to in order to strengthen and preserve our friendships. (By the
way, I'll be releasing a short story along with THE SHE CODE next month that
revolves around a new She Code "rule," then two more novellas by the
end of the year with their own central "rules." There are just so
many!)

#2: Mandy was a comic book penciler. It wasn't a
glamorous job like fashion design or a travel writer, just more of a quirky,
niche career. But more important, because of Mandy's career, I wanted to tell
the story in a way that you don't normally see in mainstream books--I wanted to
use sketches and actual comic panels to 1) illustrate each She Code rule and 2)
tell a subplot story as if Mandy were the one drawing the art. That was a lot
of extra work for a publishing house, and I have to say that everyone who has
put THE SHE CODE together now has had a few headaches! The end product is so
very cool, though, and when I saw it, I couldn't stop glowing. Talk about a
dream come true!

Of course, the fictional Mandy Halsey didn't do the
artwork. I didn't even do it. An extremely talented artist named
Billy Martinez of NekoPressComics.com brought Mandy's art to life, and I was
very lucky to hire him!

As luck would have it, THE SHE CODE isn't out quite
yet--since this is an indie project, the scheduling is inexact, but we're aiming
for August. If you'd like to know the exact date, please come over to my
Facebook She Code page at https//:www.facebook.com/TheSheCode for the release
announcement. I would also love for you to join me on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ChrisMarieGreen)
or Twitter (@ChrisMarieGreen) just so we can chat!

Speaking of chatting, I'm giving away a signed copy of
NIGHT RISING, Vampire Babylon, Book One, to someone who leaves a comment on
this blog about your own friendships. Have you ever had one that went sour like
Mandy's?

“I suspected my friendship with Sheila was doomed on the
night she blew my boyfriend....”

Meet Mandy Halsey, fresh out of college and determined to
go from being a receptionist at the assembly line comic book house where she
works to being a real-live penciler by the end of the year. That’s the plan,
anyway.

But life isn’t cooperating. First, her job feels like a
dead end. Second, her personal life isn’t exactly on fire, either, especially
since her best friend seems to be moving in on every guy who catches Mandy’s
eye. Is it just Mandy’s imagination or has Sheila totally changed since
graduation, becoming someone who’s almost a stranger?

No way, because the BFFs grew up with The She Code. See,
girls have rules with each other, so surely the friend Mandy grew up with
wouldn’t ever break the Code—and break Mandy’s heart at the same time...

THE SHE CODE, a new adult/single girl/geek lit hybrid, is
all about the bright side of angst—because there definitely is one!

Chris Marie Green is the author of the urban fantasy
Vampire Babylon series from Ace Books and the upcoming Ghost for Hire series
from Roc (Feb. 2014, Only the Good Die Young), which features a fun-loving
spirit from the 80s.

She tries her best to avoid international incidents
whenever she takes a break from her first love, writing, and cheats on it with
her other true love—traveling. Like Mandy, she has an alter ego, but Chris’
Luka is named Christine Cody, who wrote the dark fantasy Bloodlands trilogy.

Monday, July 29, 2013

One of the
best things about writing the Stark Trilogy has been spending time with the
characters. The allure of spending time
with Damien goes without saying (I mean, duh, right??) but it’s equally awesome
to spend time with Nikki because she’s such a fascinating woman (to me as an
author, to Damien, and I hope to readers).

The thing
about Nikki is that she’s strong ... and yet she has weaknesses and
softness. She knows what she wants in
life—and even though her past often haunts her, and even though she has to
fight to keep from cutting when things become emotionally difficult—she still
finds the strength to go after her goals.
At the same time, however, she has a decidedly feminine side. She’s not submissive (either in the
traditional or the BDSM sense of the word) and yet she will submit—will give
herself completely--to a man she both wants and trusts. A man, of course, like Damien.

The neat
thing is that it’s that combination of soft and hard, control and submissive,
determination and softness, yin and yang (whatever you want to call it) that
helps make the relationship between Damien and Nikki so incredibly
sensual. Yes, she can submit sexually to
Damien, but she can also take control – and since he’s a man willing to let her
do that, it adds an extra layer of intimacy and emotional intensity to their
sexual relationship.

Nikki is one
of my favorite heroines, and I suppose that’s no surprise. I tend to migrate toward heroines with dual
sides. My own Kate Connor, demon-hunting
soccer mom who first appeared in Carpe
Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom, has hard edges juxtaposed
against the softer mom/wife persona. And
my favorite heroine as a reader is Eve Dallas from the J.D. Robb In Death books, who is all kinds of
hard, and yet she’s also soft and giving.

It’s those
layers that make characters sing for me – and I hope that Nikki (and Damien!)
sing for you, too!

Who’s your favorite multi-layered
heroine from a book or a movie?

Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Complete Me from my publisher!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Romance readers and writers are drawn to
specific historic places and periods, including the American Civil War and the
Scottish struggle for independence. One of the most popular—if not the
most popular—is the English Regency.

It was short—formally, the Regency
lasted from 1811 to 1820, when King George III became so ill that his son ruled
in his stead as Prince Regent. Why is this brief span so dear to readers’
hearts? The reasons expressed here are solely my own.

--Reason #1 is Jane Austen
(1775-1817). This beloved author set the tone for the romance genre with her
unforgettable characters in Pride and Prejudice, and other novels.

--Reason #2 was the change in
fashion. Under Beau Brummell’s influence, male fashions transitioned from the
ornate to beautifully tailored, darkly masculine clothing, with trousers replacing
knee breeches. Women’s fashions became freer and lighter, as style leaders
abandoned brocades and panniers for Grecian simplicity. Their bodies remained
free for only a few years until the starchier Victorian era.

--Reason #3—Ideas were also becoming
more modern. The common folk of America and France had won their revolutions.
In 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women,
with the then-stunning premise that women were equal to men.

--Reason #4—The Regency was packed
with fascinating people. In addition to Austen, Napoleon and Brummell, there
were poets Lord Byron (described as “mad, bad and dangerous to know”), Percy
Bysshe Shelley, and his young wife, Mary Shelley, whose 1918 novel, Frankenstein,
launched the science fiction genre.

--Reason #5. The Regency romance is, to me, a
fresh take on the Cinderella theme. My Regencies, from Lady in Disguise
to A Lady of Letters, play on the theme of the disadvantaged young woman
who seizes the initiative and wins the rich, handsome hero, as well as the
respect of others.

With Lee’s help, I’ll be
giving away two ebook copies of Lady in Disguise (or you can choose one
of my other Regencies). Question: Do you read Regencies? Why? Do you
prefer the traditional kind, or the sexier variation?

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Way, way, back in the day, people eloped because they wanted to marry but
their relatives opposed the relationship. Today, many people live together for
years so why would they then choose to elope rather than have a full on
wedding? Why do some couples people want the full on wedding instead of
eloping?

Lots of reasons!

*A full on wedding takes a year or more of preparation. Some people are
overwhelmed by the thought and a quick trip to the registry office is so much
easier. Of course, Erin, the heroine and wedding photographer in Picture Perfect Weddingwants brides to who are addicted to
the planning and get a buzz out of making the million and one decisions
that a wedding demands. Although as Erin discovers, some brides are more focussed on the wedding than the groom!

*Money. Rumour on the street is that the average cost of a wedding in
2013 is $27,000. Holey moley! That is a good chunk of a deposit on a house!
Practical couples may well choose to elope and save the cash.

*Family. Not all families get along and sometimes getting them all
together in the same room and serving alcohol is a recipe for a restraining
order. Those couples *should* elope!

*Party, Party, Party! My husband and I had a ball at our wedding. In
fact our biggest complaint was that it was over way to fast. We should have had
an after party instead of running off to catch a plane and starting our
honeymoon. I've now been to weddings where the bride and groom come back the
next day for an extended family and out-of-state guest BBQ and extend the fun.

*Surprise! I've been invited to a
30th birthday, rocked up and had a wedding sprung on me. The couple
figured all their friends and family were there for the birthday, why not get
married! In fact, I read in the paper just the other day that one couple got
married at a family funeral. That may be taking advantage of everyone being
together just a bit too far.....

*Vegas. That one goes without saying ;-)

*The vacation wedding. I've had friends decide to get married in
Thailand/Hawaii/tropical beach destination and invite friends and family, fully
expecting most to say, “no” and then been put in a tail spin when most decide
to combine attending the wedding with a vacation. Word to the wise; if you
really want to elope, don’t tell anyone.

Of course, the residents in Whitetail, Wisconsin where Picture Perfect Wedding is set are hoping that people
want to have the full catastrophe wedding because the economy of Whitetail is
dependent on that cash injection.

What would you do if you had your time
over? Or if you’re considering getting married in the next little while? Where
do you come down on the argument. Would it be an elopement or a wedding?

Erin Davis will do whatever it takes to be the photographer for
high-end brides. So what if capturing the moments of people’s lives means she
has no time for her own. Nothing will get between her and the security she
craves, not even the gorgeous farmer refusing to let her shoot in his sunflowers.
His family has always been tied to the land, but lately Luke Anderson feels
more like he’s chained. While he ponders his future, he still has cows to milk
and no time to deal with Erin or Bridezillas in his fields. Yet there’s
something about the sexy city girl he can’t say no to. So he says yes: just
this once. With the town in need of a photographer, Erin agrees to spend wedding season
in Whitetail. The sparks flying between her and Luke quickly ignite, but just
as Erin starts to picture her own happy ending, Luke takes a gamble that could
risk it all… For more weddings in Whitetail, check out Saved by the Bride, available
now!

100,000 words.

Fiona Lowe is a RITA® and R*BY award-winning, multi-published
author with Harlequin and Carina Press. Whether her books are set in outback
Australia or in the mid-west of the USA, they feature small towns with big
hearts, and warm, likeable characters that make you fall in love. When she's
not writing stories, she's a weekend wife, mother of two 'ginger' teenage boys,
guardian of 80 rose bushes and often found collapsed on the couch with wine. You can
find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Friday, July 26, 2013

I’ll think about characters or emotions, and let it all
coalesce in my head as I concentrate on other things. A snippet of a song might point me toward
certain connections, little bits of dialogue might come to me here and there,
and slowly, slowly, the story begins to surface until I’m ready to sit down and
start writing.

Other times, an entire story appears just like that. Fully grown
and wholly shaped, as if out of thin air.

My editor thought it would be fun for me to write a book
that combined the hero of my first playboy book, THE DISGRACED PLAYBOY, and everyone’s favorite royal rogue: Britain’s Prince Harry.

Except, she said, more debauched.

Well, I thought, I can do that.

I said something about threesomes and she laughed and
BAM! There was my story.

The opening scene practically wrote itself:

***

His Royal Highness
Prince Patricio, the most debauched creature in the kingdom of Kitzinia—if not
the entire world—and the bane of Adriana Righetti's existence, lay sprawled
across his sumptuous, princely bed in his vast apartments in the Kitzinia Royal
Palace, sound asleep despite the fact it was three minutes past noon.

And he was not,
Adriana saw as she strode into the room, alone.

According to legend
and the European tabloids, Pato, without the pressure of his older brother's
responsibilities as heir apparent, and lacking the slightest shred of
conscience or propriety, had not slept alone since puberty. Adriana had
expected to find him wrapped around the trollop du jour—no doubt the same
redhead he'd made such a spectacle of himself with at his brother's engagement
celebration the night before.

Jackass.

But as she stared at
the great bed before her, the frustration that had propelled her all the way
through the palace shifted. She hadn't expected to find the redhead and a brunette, both women naked and
draped over what was known as Kitzinia's royal treasure: Prince Pato's lean and
golden torso, all smooth muscle and sculpted male beauty, cut off by a sheet
riding scandalously low on his narrow hips.

Although "scandalous" in this
context was, clearly, relative.

"No need to be
so shy." Somehow, Adriana didn't react to the mocking gleam in Prince
Pato's gaze when she looked up to find him watching her, his eyes sleepy and a
crook to his wicked mouth. "There's always room for one more."

Pato shifted the
brunette off his chest with a consummate skill that spoke of long practice, and
propped himself up on one elbow, not noticing or not caring that the sheet
slipped lower as he moved. Adriana held her breath, but the sheet just preserved what little remained
of his modesty. The redhead rolled away from him as Pato shoved his thick,
too-long tawny hair back from his forehead, amusement gleaming in eyes Adriana
knew perfectly well were hazel, yet looked like polished gold.

And then he smiled
with challenge and command. "Climb in or get out."

***

A ROYAL WITHOUT RULES is the story of what happens when the
kingdom’s most disreputable playboy, a tabloid staple and general lout, sets
his sights on the most notorious woman around—who, through no fault of her own,
has an entire history of bad behavior to live down.

Having to deal with a prince like Pato won’t help.

But then again, he’s not quite what he seems…

I loved writing this book.
I love Prince Pato and Adriana. I
hope you will too!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Likely,
if you know me, you know me for alpha billionaires with dark secrets and darker
pasts. But my new love is the cowboy hero.

Oh,
I haven’t forsaken my billionaires. After all, there are some yearnings only a
Greek Billionaire can answer! But today I’m talking about your Top Ten Reason
to Love a Cowboy.

10.
The outfit.

I
won’t lie, I’m a sucker for a cowboy hat, boots, some tight jeans and a belt
buckle. Now, I’m from the country and I spent a lot of years lying to myself
about this. After all, we used to call Wranglers ‘Stranglers’ with much
disdain, but now that my tastes have matured, I appreciate the ahem...virtues
of the gear.

9.
Working Man Hands.

Rough
masculine hands courtesy of hard labor. I find I have a weakness for that.
Probably goes back to the days when my husband did work around people’s
properties and cultivated the working class callouses. ;)

8.
Old-Fashioned Charm.

Is
there anything sexier than a well placed “Ma’am” or “Darlin’”? I think
not.

7.
Watching them ride.

Because
there’s nothing hotter than a man who’s born to ride doing his thing, I tell
you.

6.
They usually live in small towns.

I’m
from a small town, so in some ways, I think I had a natural resistance to
writing about them. But now that I am, I’m reminded of all the things I truly
love about living in one. And why they make a great setting! Small towns aren’t
perfect. They aren’t just full of shiny happy people. They’re filled with
individuals. Weirdos who just want to be alone, hippies, rednecks, former city
people. Nice people, mean people, and yeah, a nosey neighbor or ten.

But
it’s also a place where people still wave at you when they drive past, and
where someone will lend a hand when you need it. It makes for a lovely and
diverse setting - either to live in or to read about!

5.
Practical Uses.

Life
on the ranch is tough, and you have to be self-sufficient. A cowboy has to know
how to get things done. From basic home repairs to emergency calf deliveries.
Basically, if you need something done, he’s your man.

4.
He knows how to tie a good knot.

I
mean...so does a boy scout, but the outfit is not the same. See point number
10. Also...NO REASON just...you might want a guy who knows his way around a
rope is all.

3.
Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy.

It
becomes an even more exciting song if you’ve read a few cowboy romances.

2.
A Cowboy is a law unto himself.

The
world has moved on, sure, and a cowboy might even carry an iphone, but he’s
still a guy from a different time. A man’s man who opens the door for you and
tips his hat, and who can get away with saying some outrageous things. (And I
LOVE a hero who says outrageous things!)

1.
He’s the kind of guy you can have your happily ever after with.

The
kind of guy who still believes in marriage, in family, and in keeping marriage
vows. In short, he’s a true hero, and he makes for a wonderful fantasy.

So,
what are the reasons you have for loving a cowboy? Got any more to add?

My
cowboy series kicked off in June with Unbuttoned, a Silver Creek novella, and
continues August 20th with my first full length book in the series,
Unexpected.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

I’m strictly a suburban girl with parents who loved books
and poetry and antique cut glass, and whose outdoor playtime involved things
like sailing and tennis. I’m a native
Floridian. Beach sand, traffic jams and
unruly Irish setters…yes. I live with these
problems. Mud, mountains, rattlesnakes
and wild horses? Not really.

So why do I love writing about the West, and about cowboys?

Well, for the easy answer, check out Gray Harper on the
cover of BETTING ON THE COWBOY, my July Superromance. Good grief…is that sexy or what?

But there’s more to my fascination with these rugged men
than their beauty. Seriously. I promise. J

My interest in cowboys goes way, way back. Before I became a romance writer. Even before that boy from Texas, with his
drawl and his stories about his hound dog, moved into my subdivision and
swept me off my feet and onto his bicycle handlebars.

The cowboy thing goes all the way back to when my parents
watched a TV show called Have Gun Will
Travel. Richard Boone wore a black hat, and I fell inexplicably in love
with his craggy face. He was far too old
for me. (Okay, I was a pre-schooler, so technically
everyone was too old for me.) Still, I thought he was absolutely swoony,
and when I announced I loved him more than Gene Autry, my family howled with
laughter.

Later, we watched Bonanza, and I fell in love all over
again. I understood that I was supposed
to like Little Joe, but my heart belonged to Adam, the older brother. Why? I
have no idea. It was love. There’s nothing logical about love.

After that, I met James Dean in Giant. And Butch Cassidy. The Sundance Kid. Shane. Maverick. The Virginian. I don’t remember the order in which I met them. I don’t even remember whether I saw them in
the original shows, or in reruns, or in college film classes or at midnight
showings of camp movie classics. All I
remember is that I was endlessly enchanted by their clothes, their hats, their
horses, their twinkling eyes, their old-fashioned courtesy, their courage, and
their quiet strength.

So when I’m dreaming up a hero, my imagination often returns
to those men. I’ve never met a real life cowboy…but I’ve loved some amazing
ones in my imagination.

How about you? I hope you’ll share your cowboy stories! I’ll be giving away signed copies of BETTING
ON THE COWBOY to three posters here today.
So tell me, who are your favorite screen cowboys? Do you know any real ones? Do they live up to their fictional
counterparts?

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Every time I write, I lie to myself. I tell myself, “That
character will live forever” just before I kill her off, or “This won’t be hard
at all” even though I need a grasp of nuclear physics to figure out the climax.
Mostly, though, I tell myself this whopper: “The story will run, maybe, 5,000
words.” In non-writer language, that means “short.” As in, “short story.” As
in, “something that won’t take long.”

And the sad thing is I fall for that every single time.

Take Snipers. I
read somewhere that most of the bad guys of the 20th century
converged on Vienna in 1913, before they were famous for their misdeeds, before
they had even committed most of their misdeeds, before they were full-fledged
adults. They converged before World War 1 started, for heaven’s sake.

Time traveler’s paradise. Seriously. If you wanted to change
the world with one bold stroke, Vienna 1913 is the place do it, provided you’re
a bit cold blooded yourself and provided you have a time travel machine.

I do have a time travel machine. It’s that weird brain of
mine. The lying brain. The one that
says, “This’ll be short.” It wanted to spend some time in 1913, in Vienna. So I
got a lot of books (not as easy as you’d think; I don’t read German, so I was
stuck with whatever got published in English, which is less than you’d think,
at least about 1913.

I researched, I started the story, I realized that the time
traveler had to be a bit deranged, and I don’t think deranged people are all
that much fun to read about as the protagonist of a novel. So Johann Runge
showed up. He was a police detective in 1913 who wanted to know why all these
random people were dying.

I wrote his story, and found that it didn’t end the way I
wanted it to, which means happily, and besides, Runge’s story was half a novel
long, mixed with the story of the time traveler.

And then I read a Jack the Ripper book. You know the kind: a version comes out every
five years, proporting to “prove” who the Ripper was. Sometimes he was a
prince; sometimes a painter; sometimes a random bad guy. But the book’s author
always claimed to “know.”

That’s when it all came together. I figured that in 2005, my
heroine, Sofie Branstadter, decides to write a book about the 1913 deaths,
using modern forensic analysis. That analysis is confusing, not in the fact
that it points to multiple people, but in the way that it points to…

Well, if I tell you much more I’ll ruin the whole thing. But
the book time travels from 1913 to 2005 to 1953 to some vague unknown future.
And the book genre-hops, combining romance, time travel, and thriller into
something quite unusual. At least, I think it is.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

There are three things every writer needs - a story to tell, a way to tell it and the opportunity.

Everyone has their own ideas about the first two items on this list. Put three writers together and you’ll come up with a dozen different plots. Each of them will have their preferred way of working, too. That can be dictation and voice-recognition software, typing straight onto the computer screen, good old pencil and paper or a combination of all three.

It’s getting the opportunity to write that causes all the trouble. Here are three tips I found useful when working on Lady Rascal, and my current WIP, Jewel Under Siege.

1. TIMETABLING: When do you do your best writing? If it’s first thing in the morning, set your alarm an hour earlier and use that time just for writing. If it’s after work or the children’s bedtime, lay in plenty of coffee and get writing once it's quiet. DO NOTHING ELSE! Don’t let yourself get distracted by anything at all. Set a kitchen timer, or call on the team at #1k1hr on Twitter to get yourself motivated.

2. A SPACE OF YOUR OWN: Make sure you've got your own dedicated writing area. No matter how small, it'll be your private territory and that will give you a boost. It also means you don't have to hunt all around the house for your dictionary, thesaurus and other reference books, once they're all concentrated in one place. If your writing space doesn't include access to the Internet, that's better still-unless you're single-minded enough not to go online while you're working. The net is a great help with research, but it can turn into a terrible time-waster.

Mother's Little Helpers

Try to get your family to share the domestic chores so you can write. Make it fun for them, use bribery-anything to make sure you can get your “me time”. You might discover somebody has a hidden talent. When our children were small, we worked our way through The River Cottage Family Cookbook among others. As they've grown in age and experience, they can now take their turn in cooking dinner.

That's a real luxury, as long as you can shut your ears to the racket coming from the kitchen (or the eerie silence, which can be worse...). This spaghetti carbonara and chilled fruit pudding was produced by Son No.1. It was delicious!

That's a real luxury, as long as you can shut your ears to the racket coming from the kitchen (or the eerie silence, which can be worse...). This spaghetti carbonara and chilled fruit pudding was produced by Son No.1. It was delicious!

3. SHORT CUTS: Online shopping is a Godsend for the time-poor. Try your local supermarket delivery services. They're convenient and reduce the amount of impulse-buying, too. The discipline of making out a list to shop just once a week is another time-saver if you usually hit the aisles every day. We use Abel and Cole and Laverstoke Park Farm, too, for those times when there's nothing in the garden.

Of course, all these tips can easily be adapted to other areas of your life, such as reading or hobbies. How do you organise your own "me time"?

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

I write the Arcadia Bell urban
fantasy series for Pocket. My third book recently came out, and the fourth
releases next year. Like everything I write, Arcadia is a little bit different,
a little off the beaten path. Though Arcadia's subject matter and settings
sometimes veer towards dark and gritty, my heroes are good-humored and hopeful.
It also features a strong romantic subplot between the two leads, so I don’t
think it’ll be a surprise to anyone that I’m crossing the genre pond into
full-blown Romancelandia.

On January 7th, the first book
in my new Roaring Twenties series from Berkley Sensation goes on sale, and
though the series shares a similar tone and wit to my urban fantasy, this time,
the subject matter is flat-out sexy, swoon-laden romance. The new books take
place—you guessed it!—in the 1920s, when prohibition and the emergence of a new
modern ideal transformed the booming, foggy city of San Francisco.

In the first book, BITTER
SPIRITS, my hero is a bootlegger—a handsome, scarred brick wall of a Swedish
immigrant, who’s painstakingly built a small fortune running booze through the
Golden Gate in his father’s fishing boats. My heroine is a fearless,
independent spirit medium who performs a public séance act in a local
speakeasy. When my hero becomes inexplicably hexed and haunted, he seeks out
the spirit medium’s help. And with this light paranormal mystery pulling them
together, the pair navigates the city from Chinatown to Pacific Heights,
trying—and failing miserably—not to fall in love.

For readers who already like my
voice, I hope they’ll make the jump into the 1920s with me. And for new readers
who might be in the mood for a unique, sexy romance that’s not the same old
paint-by-numbers historical, I hope they’ll give BITTER SPIRITS a shot.

Can
you recommend any other unusual historical romances set in different time
periods/countries or centered on a H/h who aren’t titled British landowners?

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Thank you so much for having me on Tote Bags ‘n’ Blogs
today! I’ve been looking forward to meeting you all and sharing my new books.
With my first book only just now appearing on the shelves, I’m still amazed
that it’s all real.

I wanted so much to sell a first book that I have to confess
I worked on several ideas at once. I crossed my fingers and wrote a proposal
for an adult romance, WISH ME TOMORROW, at the same time that I developed a
Young Adult story with my sister-in-law, Joanne Rock. I wrote and wrote,
spinning chapters on first one book and the other, hoping that if I put enough
effort and words out into the world, I’d find an audience. A publisher. A home
for my stories!

My Young Adult book, CAMP
BOYFRIEND, made the rounds and we got great feedback but no sales. No sales. Not that I was biting my nails
or anything. But then, just want I started to lose all hope, we got a call from
a small, new press called Spencer Hill. They loved Camp Boyfriend and couldn’t wait to publish it. They didn’t just
want that first book, either. They bought our whole camp series.

Score!! I was beyond thrilled. We had the first book written
but couldn’t wait to get to work on books two and three- Camp Payback and Camp
Forget-Me-Not. We also wanted to try
writing some free novellas in between books to entice readers to try the
series. So we dove right in to a prequel novella, Camp
Kiss, available now for free download.

My happy stupor lasted for weeks. I had realized a dream! It
was such a great feeling that I never guessed the universe could be so nice as
to look my way twice. Because six weeks later, I got a call that Harlequin
Heartwarming wanted to buy WISH ME TOMORROW for release in September 2013.

That was a teary-happy moment. If you haven’t read the
Harlequin Heartwarming line, it’s a great series that promises tender, deeply
romantic stories that mothers are excited to share with their daughters. Some
of my sister authors at Heartwarming would include NYT bestselling authors
Aimee Thurlo, Roz Denny Fox as well as the fabulous Muriel Jensen and Tara
Randel. Wow!

Strong arms
encircled her from behind. She breathed in the lemongrass and musky smell of
him, her heart thumping.

“You’ve been
gone too long.” he breathed in her ear.

She felt as
if electricity coursed from her sensitive lobe and sizzled through her body.
Her lungs trapped her breath and took it hostage. Was there anything more
amazing than being held by the man you loved?

She turned
and put her arms around his neck. In an instant, his breath quickened, his blue
eyes searing hers before he crushed her against him.

“I’m the
luckiest man in the world.” His voice was low, throaty. “Remember what you said
earlier, about feeling like a monster?”

She nodded,
burying her face in the firm planes of his chest. Why would he bring that up
when things felt so romantic?

He tipped
her chin and held her gaze. “Please don’t say that again. Don’t even think it.
You’re imperfect. Flawed, a little scarred, but stronger now in a way that
makes you the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. Inside and out. I wouldn’t
want you any other way.”

It was the
most incredible thing anyone had ever said to her. Did she deserve it? An image
of Bill came to mind. She could almost picture him giving her a thumbs-up.

Before she
had another moment to think, he captured her lips with a kiss so intense it was
bruising. Her thundering blood deafened her and her shallow breathing rolled
out like a low tide. He tasted like salt and fire as his mouth slanted across
hers. She buried her hands in his thick hair, drawing him closer still.

His mouth
left hers and traveled along her cheekbone. She could feel the erratic beat of
his heart against her chest. His arms held her tight, as if he never meant to
let her go. She rained kisses on his neck, his jaw and finally on his lips.

Suddenly, an
aching tenderness replaced their earlier frenzy. They needed to explore, to
know each other. When he returned her kiss, his hand stole into her hair and
wound her tresses with his fingers. Their kisses deepened slowly, softly, the
intensity growing between them once more…a single match that had ignited a
blaze.

She knew he
was strong, but it still surprised her how easily he carried her to the living
room settee and laid her down gently on the scattered pillows. His body slid
over hers in one smooth gesture. She inhaled his breath as their mouths moved
against each other, every kiss drawn out now, lingering, exploring. Her hands
drifted over his back then rose to his shoulders and the muscles of his arms.

At last, he
drew himself up on his elbows. Now he was looking down at her, and his
expression had changed in the flickering light, his blue eyes darkened to
indigo. The rawness of his open, vulnerable expression undid her.

Warmth
overflowed her heart, filling up the cracks and wounds she’d held inside. She
sighed and buried her hands in the thick strands at the nape of his neck. How
had this miracle happened? It seemed beyond imagining, beyond wishing. Yet here
she was, with him, the only person who’d made her feel complete. Whole. As if
she deserved this moment with him.

***

I hope you
enjoyed this sneak peek! Wish Me Tomorrow
is available for pre-order download at Amazon now or regular download starting
September 1st. As for Camp
Boyfriend, you can download it now at Amazon or download the prequel novella,
Camp Kiss for free at the Spencer Hill Contemporary website.

Please share
your thoughts about Harlequin’s new Heartwarming line or your own journey toward
publication and you’ll be entered to win my giveaway of an advanced copy of
Bella Andre’s I only have Eyes for You
(not officially released until October) and K.N. Casper’s Heartwarming novel Roots in Texas. Thanks so much! I look
forward to hearing from you J

Monday, July 15, 2013

Today, 15 July is St Swithun's Day. It is best known for predicting British Summer weather. A bit like Groundhog day. If it is fair on St Swithun's day, Britian is generally set for 40 days of sunshine. If it rains, we get 40 days of rain.
There is some truth to rumour as about this time, the weather pattern over Britain does seem to get stuck. And if it pours on 15 July, the rest of the summer is likely to be soggy.
It is beautiful sunshine at the moment (a rarity) and I am hopeful for the first truly pleasant summer Northumberland has had since 2006. We had a horribly cold spring and so fingers crossed.
Certainly it has been roasting for the last few days.
So who was St Swithun?
He was bishop of Winchester from about 852 - 862 which is just at the start of the Dane law. It should come as no surprise then, he is also venerated in Norway but for some reason has a saint's day of 2 July (the supposed date of his death). On his death bed, he asked to be buried outside so the rain could fall on his body.He is supposed to be the patron saint of rain (ie a saint you pray when it is a drought).
But basically he is remembered today because of the proverb. I suspect it also says a lot about the rainy British summer. (I grew up in California where it rarely rains in the summertime...) It is just one bit of lore that has always intrigued me and as today is 15 July, I thought I'd share it as I like factiods.

I have put an excerpt for my next book --Paying the Viking's Price which takes place in Northumbria at few years after St Swithun's death up on my website. The blurb reads: ORDERED TO THE VIKING'S BED! Feared warrior Brand Bjornson has finally got what he's striven for—lands of
his own, granted to him by his king. But his new estate, Breckon, holds more
than a few surprises—not least the intriguingly beautiful Edith, former Lady of
Breckon. Proud Edith refuses to abandon her lands to the mercy of Viking invaders, and
impressed by her courage, Brand agrees she can stay. He has one condition—that
she should become his concubine!

Saturday, July 13, 2013

I've written more than 50 romances for Harlequin, Avalon and now Montlake Romance. I've written straight up comedies, light humor and heavy emotional stories. And this month, I've written something that's not quite any of those things.

Steamed isn't really a romance. It isn't really a mystery. It's Quincy Mac's story. Who is Quincy? She's a mother first and foremost. She came to LA from Erie, PA (where else? LOL) with dreams of fortune and fame. Instead she got married and had three sons, all one year apart. Then she got divorced and she started a cleaning service with her best friend, Tiny. Yes, being a maid might not be as glamorous as an award winning actress, but Quincy's built a wonderful life.

Until... (Come on, you know there had to be an until!)
the day she accidentally cleans a murder scene and a particularly hunky cop questions her. Now, most people, even if they accidentally cleaned not only the murder scene, but the murder weapon, would sit back and let the cops figure out who the real murderer is. But not Quincy. You see, she has an uncle who was wrongly accused of a crime and he spent two years in jail before the cops figured out he was innocent.

Quincy can't go to jail. She has three boys to raise. She's going to be maid-of-honor in her best friend's wedding. And she's absolutely sure she's not someone who's meant to have a tattoo.

So, she's on the scene.

I'm fortunate...I tend to sell a book, then write it. But Quincy's story I wrote just for me, because the idea nagged at me. I wrote her story on weekends around other contract and I'm thrilled to finally send her out in the world. And I'm thrilled that the first reviews have been so good. I hope you'll check out her story! It's available on Amazon right now, and will hopefully be out sometime soon on other eBook platforms!

When I first started writing THE ENTITY WITHIN, I knew that
the heroine, Zoe Adams, was a witch. I
also knew the hero, Damon Thornheart, would be a vampire Demon Hunter who had
recently come to Vamptown to take on the job of Head of Security.

I realize that
vampires and witches do not get along under normal circumstances. In the case
of Zoe and Damon, the conflict is even more intense. Damon hates witches. One betrayed him with very bad results. Zoe knows from the opening of the book that
Damon is a vampire, just as he knows she is a witch. But before she arrived in Vamptown, she had
no idea that they would be moving to the center of a vampire enclave. She knew nothing of Vamptown. She thought she
and her grandmother were coming to a nice quiet Chicago neighborhood to stay at
a friend’s empty rental house. Her grandmother
had left out any reference to the vampire thing.

The relationship between Zoe and Damon really goes downhill
when Zoe and her grandmother accidentally unleash demons by opening a
mysterious spellbook. In order to save
Vamptown, Zoe has to work with Damon and he with her or all will be lost.

I must say that I really loved writing this story. The dialogue between the hero and heroine is
fast-paced, funny, and intense. But the
big surprise was Bella the cat. Zoe’s
cat. The role of Bella was inspired by
my own cat also named Bella. She demanded to be in the book and so she is, with
plenty of attitude.

Yes, I am a cat person.
How about you? Are you a cat or a
dog person? Or both?

Cat Devon is the author of SLEEPING WITH THE ENTITY and THE
ENTITY WITHIN. Both books are available now. Next up is the enovella THE ENTITY
WHO CAME FOR CHRISTMAS (Oct 15) and LOVE YOUR ENTITY (Dec. 31). For more info
please visit her website www.catdevon.com
or Like her Facebook page www.facebook.com/catdevonauthor
or follow her on Twitter @catdevonauthor.